Jose Antonio Rueda got the better of David Alonso on the third and final day of pre-season testing ahead of the 2024 Moto3 World Championship season in Jerez.
The Spaniard – who like Alonso will begin his second season in the quarter-litre category this year – set the pace with a 1m 43.276s lap on the Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, usurping his Colombian rival’s day two benchmark by almost a tenth.
Rueda’s efforts broke a streak of rapid timesheet topping laps from Alonso, both last week in Portimao and during this week’s Jerez outing, pace that has emphasised the CFMoto Aspar Team rider’s status as 2024 Moto3 title favourite.
The sophomore pair enjoyed a comfortable margin back to the ‘best of the rest’, headed up in third and fourth by MT Helmets-MSI’s fresh pairing Ivan Ortola and new team-mate Ryusei Yamanaka.
Collin Veijer – another title tip following a run of strong results towards the end of his rookie campaign in 2015 – ended his week in fifth, heading up Daniel Holgado – whose Tech3 Racing team will swap to GasGas branding to reflect its MotoGP effort – in sixth and Stefano Nepa (LevelUp-MTA) in seventh.
Best of the rookie contingent was Luca Lunetta in eighth for SIC 58 Squadra Corse with Aussie Jacob Roulstone 11th and Joel Esteban in 18th.
MLav Racing’s British pairing, meanwhile, endured mixed fortunes with Scott Ogden just outside of the top ten in 12th but there was frustration for Josh Whatley, who picked up a hand injury early on in the week, benching him for the remainder of the test.
He is expected to be fit in time for the opening round in Qatar, which takes place on 8-10 March
🇪🇦 ⏱️ 2024 Moto3 Official Pre-Season Testing Results, Jerez | Combined Results [FINAL]
| 🇪🇦 ⏱️ 2024 Moto3 Official Pre-Season Testing Results | Jerez – Angel Nieto, Spain | Combined Results [FINAL] | |||||
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Team | Chassis | Lap Time |
| 1 | Jose Antonio Rueda | 🇪🇦 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 1m 43.276 |
| 2 | David Alonso | 🇨🇴 | CFMoto Aspar Team | CFMoto | 1m 43.315 |
| 3 | Ivan Ortola | 🇪🇦 | MT Helmets – MSI | KTM | 1m 43.610 |
| 4 | Ryusei Yamanaka | 🇯🇵 | MT Helmets – MSI | KTM | 1m 43.628 |
| 5 | Collin Veijer | 🇳🇱 | Liqui Moly Husqvarna Inatact GP | Husqvarna | 1m 43.816 |
| 6 | Daniel Holgado | 🇪🇦 | Red Bull GasGas Tech3 | GasGas | 1m 43.869 |
| 7 | Stefano Nepa | 🇮🇹 | LevelUp-MTA | KTM | 1m 44.409 |
| 8 | Luca Lunetta | 🇮🇹 | SIC 58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 1m 44.488 |
| 9 | Adrian Fernandez | 🇪🇦 | Leopard Racing | Honda | 1m 44.574 |
| 10 | David Almansa | 🇪🇦 | Rivacold Snipers Team | Honda | 1m 44.724 |
| 11 | Jacob Roulstone | 🇦🇺 | Red Bull GasGas Tech3 | GasGas | 1m 44.835 |
| 12 | Scott Ogden | 🇬🇧 | MLav Racing | Honda | 1m 44.869 |
| 13 | Filippo Farioli | 🇮🇹 | SIC 58 Squadra Corse | Honda | 1m 44.884 |
| 14 | Matteo Bertelle | 🇮🇹 | Rivacold Snipers Team | Honda | 1m 44.895 |
| 15 | Joel Kelso | 🇦🇺 | BOE Motorsport | KTM | 1m 44.898 |
| 16 | David Munoz | 🇪🇦 | BOE Motorsport | KTM | 1m 45.029 |
| 17 | Tatsuki Suzuki | 🇯🇵 | Liqui Moly Husqvarna Inatact GP | Husqvarna | 1m 45.072 |
| 18 | Joel Esteban | 🇪🇦 | CFMoto Aspar Team | CFMoto | 1m 45.146 |
| 19 | Nicola Carraro | 🇮🇹 | LevelUp-MTA | KTM | 1m 45.153 |
| 20 | Taiyo Furusato | 🇯🇵 | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 1m 45.205 |
| 21 | Riccardo Rossi | 🇮🇹 | CIP Green Power | KTM | 1m 45.299 |
| 22 | Xabi Xurutuza | 🇪🇦 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 1m 45.313 |
| 23 | Tatchakorn Busari | 🇹🇭 | Honda Team Asia | Honda | 1m 45.413 |
| 24 | Noah Dettweiler | 🇨🇭 | CIP Green Power | KTM | 1m 46.725 |
| 25 | Angel Piqueras | 🇪🇦 | Leopard Racing | Honda | 1m 47.594 |
| 26 | Joshua Whatley | 🇬🇧 | MLav Racing | Honda | No Time |
